2008 Toyota Yaris H/B

TRAVELING ON FREEWAY AT 60 MPH WHEN ENGINE STOPPED. THIS CREATED A SIGNIFICANT HAZARD AS I HAD TO CROSS FOUR LANES OF HEAVY TRAFFIC TO GET TO THE SHOULDER WITH NO POWER. AFTER TOW, IT WAS ORIGINALLY DIAGNOSED AS A FAILED FUEL PUMP. IT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY DISCOVERED THAT, THOUGH THE GAS GAUGE READ 1/3 FULL, THE TANK WAS ACTUALLY EMPTY. THE DEALERSHIP HAD TO REMOVE THE GAS TANK TO REPLACE THE FAULTY FUEL SENSOR.

TAKATA RECALL, IT HAS BEEN ABOUT A YEAR, MAYBE MORE, SINCE I GOT THE FIRST FLYER TO HAVE MY AIR BAG REPLACED. I HAVE GOT MORE OVER THE MONTHS. EVERY TIME, I CALL IN AND TRY TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT I AM TOLD THAT THEY ARE GOING OUT IN WAVES AND THAT I WILL BE NOTIFIED WHEN I CAN GET THIS POTENTIALLY LETHAL AIR BAG REPLACED. THEN MORE TIME GOES BY I GET ANOTHER FLYER AND THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN, WITH NO RESOLUTION. I FIND IT A BIT UNSETTLING THAT THAT PROCESS WOULD TAKE THIS LONG AND LEAVE CUSTOMERS STUCK WITH POTENTIALLY DEADLY VEHICLES.

TAKATA RECALL THANKFULLY, NO INCIDENT YET. RECEIVED INTERIM RECALL NOTICE IN MAY 2016, STATING THEY WOULD SEND ANOTHER NOTICE WHEN THE REMEDY HAD BEEN PREPARED. SIX MONTHS LATER, IT HAS NOT. CONVENIENTLY, TOYOTA ABSOLVES THEMSELVES OF RESPONSIBILITY BY STATING: "UNTIL THE REMEDY BECOMES AVAILABLE, WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO NOT OPERATE THE VEHICLE WITH AN OCCUPANT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT." THIS IS NOT A REASONABLE REMEDY FOR SUCH A LONG TIME PERIOD, AND MY CIRCUMSTANCES ARE SUCH THAT MY WIFE AND I HAVE NO ALTERNATIVE BUT TO CONTINUE DRIVING OUR ONLY CAR, WITH CARGO IN THE BACK AND PASSENGERS IN THE FRONT. MOST DISTURBING TO ME IS THE FACT THAT IT IS ONLY THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG IMPLICATED IN THE RECALL. IF THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAGS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM, WOULD TOYOTA ADVISE ME NOT TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE WITH AN OCCUPANT IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT? NO, BECAUSE THEN THE CAR WOULD BE COMPLETELY NON-OPERABLE, AND TOYOTA WOULD HAVE A MUCH GREATER LIABILITY TO PROVIDE REPLACEMENT VEHICLES, RIGHT? HAVE THEY JUST DONE THE MATH AND CONCLUDED IT'S BETTER TO SETTLE DRIVER SIDE BAGS FATALITIES IN COURT THAN TO REPLACE ALL THOSE FAULTY AIRBAGS? I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING MY OWN CAR, AND I DO NOT FEEL SATISFIED WITH TOYOTA'S DELAYED RESPONSE TO THIS LIFE-THREATENING DEFECT. HERE'S A SIMPLE SUGGESTION: IF THEY CAN'T REPLACE 50,000,000 AIRBAGS ALL AT ONCE, WHY NOT DISABLE THE AIRBAGS UNTIL SUCH TIME AS IT WON'T SHOOT METAL SHARDS INTO PEOPLE'S FACES? THIS SHOULD BE A STANDARD FEATURE AVAILABLE IN ALL CARS WITH THE TURN OF A KEY. *TR

TAKATA RECALL, THIS IS MY ONLY VEHICLE AND I AM VERY FEARFUL TO OPERATE THIS VEHICLE WITH THE LITERATURE ABOUT HOW THIS AIRBAG COULD EXPLODE SENDING SHRAPNEL RANDOMLY THROUGH THE CAB. I LIVE IN HAWAII AND I UNDERSTAND THAT IN HOT AND HUMID ENVIRONMENTS THE RISK OF THIS HAPPENING IS GREATLY INCREASED. I AM UPSET THAT THERE IS STILL NO REMEDY AND NOTHING IS BEING OFFERED TO US IN COMPENSATION FOR THIS SAFETY HAZARD. I DON'T FEEL THAT TURNING MY ALREADY SMALL CAR INTO A 3 SEATER (RECALL RECOMMENDS THAT NO ONE SIT BESIDE THE DRIVER) IS A SOLUTION. WE HAVE ALL SEEN HOW RANDOM COFFEE GROUNDS SCATTER IN THE COUNTER, SHRAPNEL WOULD BEHAVE IN THE SAME WAY..SO AS A DRIVER OF THIS VEHICLE, I AM RISKING MY LIFE EVEN WITH A SMALL FENDER BENDER, OR PERHAPS EVEN WITHOUT A COLLISION THIS AIRBAG COULD SPONTANEOUSLY EXPLODE DUE TO THE HOT/HUMID CONDITIONS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA YARIS H/B. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V340000 (AIR BAGS). HOWEVER THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.